Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Book Review: The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick

The Red Sheetby Mia KerickDescription:

One
October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different
person—helpful, generous, and chivalrous—a person whose new admirable qualities
he doesn’t recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his
neck like a cape.
Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more
unusual behavior. He can’t hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees,
helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere
he finds it.
Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He’s attracted to the
former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott
from before “the change.” Where he’d been lazy in academics, overly aggressive
in sports, and socially insecure, he’s a new person. And although he can recall
behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations.
Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his “superjock” former pals, is
shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed
by Bryan’s newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he’s genuinely changed and
improved, hopefully gaining Scott’s trust and maybe even his love, becomes
Bryan’s obsession.

Review:

This book was an emotional roller coaster for me. I started the book wondering why this kid wants to wear red sheets like a cape. It really hooked me into reading more. The more I read, the more I was rooting for Bryan to be a positive change for his school. I can remember being bullied in school and I can still see it happening in schools today and I really liked the message this book was sending out: be the change you want to see. Even finding out about Bryan's past bullying made his change that much more powerful. Eventually (don't want to give away spoilers) the books take a very serious turn. This is when the waterworks started for me. It was so deep and emotional and powerful. I appreciated the way Mia Kerick ended the story with the idea that change isn't easy. You have to want it and you have to be willing to work for it and consciously choose to be the change each and everyday. I wish this was a book that all high-schoolers could read because the message is so powerful, however with the graphic nature of the problems depicted in this book I would say it is probably best for adults. There are some romantically "hot" scenes in the book, but for the most part this is not my typical "quick and dirty" book review. It is, however, a feel-good book about how you can make a difference in the world and I would recommend it to others in a heartbeat. I plan on looking up other books by Mia Kerick to read in the future.

Mia Kerick is the mother of four
exceptional children—all named after saints—and five non-pedigreed cats—all
named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband
of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t
ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the
emotional growth of troubled men and their relationships, and she believes that
sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a
love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of
tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of
1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She
is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to
stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement
with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in
the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing
or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered
pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.